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SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXII, NO. XXXI
THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022
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Local Pastor Receives Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award
Pastor Brad and his wife Eileen receiving his Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award at the A New Day Church on Friday night. Photo by Camille DeVaul
Nelson Mandela Global Peace Award recipient Dr. Jason Renville presents award to Pastor Brad Alford By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES—On Friday, Jan. 7, Paso Robles, A New Day Church’s Pastor Brad Alford went down in American history after becoming a Presi-
dential Lifetime Award recipient. In 2002, President George W. Bush created the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) to honor the hundreds of thousands of people across America that have volunteered hundreds, if not thousands of volunteer hours over their lifetime. The program was established to honor the volunteer works of individuals, families,
and organizations throughout the United States. Specifically, The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award (PLAA, also known as the President’s Call to Service Award) is the highest level of the PVSA, requiring a minimum of 4,000 hours of documented volunteer service. When asked how he felt to be receiving such a prestigious award, he said he felt “Very
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
By HAYLEY MATTSON hayley@pasoroblespress.com
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a
state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of thousands at the March on Washington, Aug. 28, 1963. King’s most important work applied America’s Founding ideals to the cause of civil rights. The last best hope for true racial progress, King realized, was solidarity: For people to see and treat one another as equals, they had to feel the tugs of a bond far stronger than either race or politics, and for King, that bond was America. After all, there are two words
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Board approves Ethnic Studies elective course for 2022-2023 school year By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES— The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District held their first school board meeting of the year on Tuesday, Jan. 11. The Board received a COVID-19 update and information on the school’s procedures and protocols. Positive cases are rising at the schools following the winter break. However, it was noted by staff that cases have risen due to more students testing for COVID. For the month of January, 217 PRJUSD students and staff have tested positive. Vaccinated students who test positive for COVID are not quarantined. For updates on positive cases and everything COVID related at PRJUSD schools, visit: pasoschools.org/reopen Later, a public hearing was held for public comment on the By-Trustee Area Mapping. The District completed the transition from an at-large to a by-trustee area election CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
CHARITY
‘I Have a Dream’
Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
humble. I don’t deserve an award. I don’t see myself as ‘Oh I’ve done this, I’ve done that, I’ve done this.’ We try to live a selfless life to serve Jesus because He is our reward, and so when Dr. Jason motioned to me that this may be a possibility, I was stunned—I look at it as something that is bigger than me.” Dr. Jason Renville, a Human Rights Ambassador for the United Nations (UN), came
to Paso Robles to present the award to Pastor Alford. Renville himself is a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the Nelson Mandela Global Peace Award, iChange Nations’ World Civility Award, iChange Nations’ National Statesman Degree, iChange Nations’ Peace Icon Award/ Diplomat of The Year. Additionally, Renville is a Global Ambassador-At-Large and Ecclesiastical Officer under the UNs’ Economic and Social Council – Non-Governmental Organization—on top of that, he ministers around the world. Renville has conferred the award to Pastors, Bishops, and others alike across the Nation. Recipients of the award must be first be nominated and then meet several requirements, including record and proof of all volunteer hours. After that, Renville explains what he looks for in a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “I make sure I look at the heart of the person, I make sure I look at the spirit of leadership, I look at the selflessness, the spirit of our service. How they serve selflessly and what’s there that is measurable—real-time proof of why they are being honored with such a noble award.”
PRJUSD Discusses Possible Relocation of Dual Immersion Program
Quilt Guild Donates to Local Non-Profits
Almond Country Quilt Guild gave $3,000 to the Cancer Support Community California Central Coast and RISE By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@pasoroblespress.com
in the phrase “civil rights,” and King grasped that both are crucial. Civil rights are about the fair and equal participation of all citizens in the American community. For those rights to have any power, the bonds of that community must be closeknit and resilient. “I criticize America because I love her,” King said in a speech about the Vietnam War, “and because I want to see her to stand as the moral example of the world.” All American’s alike can learn from King’s example. “In the United States of America, every citizen should have CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
PASO ROBLES—On Monday, Jan. 3, the Almond Country Quilt Guild gathered for their monthly meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church in Paso Robles. On top of their regular quilting meeting, they also awarded two local non-profits with donations raised at their yearly quilt auction. “We have a yearly auction where members of our guild make quilts and various other things. So we have a live and a silent auction,” Cindy Ursprung, this year’s co-chair at the guild auction, said. “We were not able to have one last year, obviously, so this year we had a plethora of quilts, which was just fabulous.” The auction, which was held on Nov. 6, 2021, brought in a whopping total of $9,000. While one-third of the profits raised stay with the guild for funding classes and the quilts they make for foster care children in SLO County, the rest is given to local non-profits. “It went very well,” Ursprung said of the auction’s success.
Cancer Support Community executive director Candice Sanders receives donation from Almond Country Quilt Guild’s Cindy Ursprung. Photo by Christianna Marks
This year the Almond Country Quilt Guild gave $3,000 to both the Cancer Support Community California Central Coast (CSC-CCC) in Templeton and RISE. The non-profits change yearly. “I’m a cyclist, and we always have a bike ride for the Cancer Center, and they weren’t able to have them for the last couple of years. They’re completely funded by donations. And I think everybody has been touched by cancer at some point in their lives. And the fact that they do everything for free is just wonderful,” Ursprung said of this year’s recipient. “And then because we are a group of women, RISE is also very important to everyone.” Candice Sanders was at the meeting to receive the $3,000 donation to CSC-CCC. “All of our CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
PASO ROBLES BUSINESS UPDATE
Paso Robles and Templeton Chambers of Commerce Join Forces ‘Looking Forward to 2022 with Excitement’ SPORTS
By GINA FITZPATRICK Special to Paso Robles Press
O
ne mustn’t look far for reminders of the strength and perse-
verance of our residents. The fabric of our community displays insurmountable success in the face of challenges. From its rich historical foundation to the 2003 San Simeon
HISTORY
Earthquake, residents have a unique history of unity and emerging triumphantly from whatever situations arise. The year 2021 has been one to remember: stories of busi-
AGRICULTURE
nesses uniting to support each other, nonprofits rising to the occasion to provide services to the needy, and neighbors helping neighbors with everything from cattle brandings to
frequenting businesses when patrons were needed the most. That’s why this year, we are proud to announce the further strengthening of our region CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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